Cliffard Gerling Wood

Cliffard G. Wood, age 88, died on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. A visitation will be held from 1-3pm on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home in Albert Lea, MN. At 3pm, Military Honors for Cliffard will be performed at the funeral home, followed by interment at Graceland Cemetery. Following the burial, there will be a Celebration of Cliffard’s Life at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club in Albert Lea.

Cliffard was born on December 7, 1937, to Palmer Wood and Edina Martinson.

He proudly served his country in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1958. After leaving the Navy, Cliffard married Barbara J. Pierce on August 15, 1959. Together, they built a life and raised four children: Cindi, Jackie, Tami, and Bumper (Scot).

In 1961, Cliffard continued his commitment to serving his country by joining the National Guard, where he served for 30 years before retiring. In 1969, he volunteered to participate in Winter Operations at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. During his time there, Cliffard became a ski instructor and proudly helped train soldiers in cold-weather survival.

Cliffard was also a hard-working truck driver throughout much of his life. He drove for Red Owl for 16 years before purchasing his own semi. He later drove for Matson Trucking and finished his trucking career with Pro-Trucking.

Throughout his life, Cliffard demonstrated a strong work ethic, dedication to his country, and devotion to his family. He was a husband, father, Papa, great-papa, veteran, and friend whose life touched many people.

Cliff leaves many family members to cherish his memory, including his daughters, Cindi Irish, Jackie (Randy) Zimmerman, and Tami (Troy) Enderson; and his son, Bumper-Scot (Kris) Wood.

Cliff was “Papa” to Ryan, Trevor, Kelli, Cara, Tiffany, Bucky, Tyler, Christopher, and Bailey, who were the joy of his life, along with his 18 great-grandchildren. Cliff is also survived by his sister Harriet Brown and his brother-in-law Ernie Klukow; and many nieces and nephews.

Cliff was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Barb, his parents, his sister Judy and his brother Perry.

Cliff was much loved by his family and will be dearly missed. Cliff's family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Albert Lea Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin, and the staff at Good Samaritan for their amazing kindness and care given to him during his illness.